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From: gutierre@oblio.arc.nasa.gov (Rob Gutierrez)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Odd Stuff at MCI
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Date: 22 Mar 90 04:19:40 GMT
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isis!isis.UUCP!tkoppel@uunet.uu.net (Ted Koppel) writes:

> I was trying to make a call this morning (Denver --> San Jose) on MCI
> from home.  Got an intercept that said my call can't be completed at
> this time - for further information call 1-800-888-1800.
 
> Tried, of course, calling the 800-888-1800, but line was consistently
> busy, so eventually I went to work.
 
> Called MCI tonight to ask if they were having network problems this
> morning, but the (low-level) clerk I spoke to of course didn't know
> anything.
 
> 1 - was MCI not working to the West Coast today, or did I have a
> fluke?

I can't get ahold of any of my friends at MCI. Denver is served by a
switch called Denver Junction ("DNJ"), which is a DEX-600. Not as fast
as the old swich Denver was mostly served by (a DMS-250). But, you did
get one of the default recordings, so the FGD's to MCI were obviously
OK, and the switch itself was working at least.

Now, San Jose is a different story. It's a real old Wescom switch, and
it did work fine, though it tended to choke out once in a while.

But you dialed the trouble number (888-1800) and it was busy. The
trouble number has a minimum of two T-1's serving it (48 trunks), and
if you were getting busies, then it was major outage time.

> 2 - what is the point of dialing the 1-800-888-1800 number; what
> information might they have told me if it hadn't been busy?   

Nothing. The numbers just go right into residental customer service,
and you're lucky if you can get two out of three rate quotes right.
Anyway, surprise them and if you get though the next time, ask them to
look at the 'bulletin board' (actually a TV monitor) and ask if
there's any 'red flashes' or 'red alerts'. The monitors display three
alerts at any given time, and are color coded (White = Non-service
affecting, Blue = Service affecting, Red = Major Outage) ... if the
monitors are working.  The problem is the monitors are updated from
Hayward (California), and if there's a cable cut, the data lines for
them are cut too.

Ja ne.   Robert Gutierrez/NSIPO Network Operations/NASA Ames Research.